New texting option to help Lorain County residents in a crisis

Lorain County now has access to Crisis Text Line, a tool making it easier for individuals who are experiencing a crisis to get immediate help by just using a cell phone.

The tool can be used by anyone in Ohio or nationwide during any type of crisis, including someone experiencing a mental health need.

It provides access to free, confidential, all-hours, all-ages support and information. And it promises a reply from a trained counselor within minutes, according to a media release.

In the release, Dr. Kathleen Kern, incoming director of the Lorain County Board of Mental Health, said people should have different options to get the help they need.

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“When a person is in need, they should have various ways to access help,” Kern said. “A texting option is great for connecting people with the support they need. I tried it myself to see how it works, and I found the text line to be easy to use, with counselors who were responsive and knowledgeable.”

Kern also says the text line is another tool available to people of Lorain County along with the local mental health crisis hotline and the non-emergency Navigator line for connecting to mental health services.

Nationally, Crisis Text Line has 50,000 texters per month, including people of all ages. Thirty percent of the messages the text line receives are about suicide and depression, the release said.

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services entered into a contract with the national Crisis Text Line to provide Ohioans with a state-specific keyword, 4HOPE, to access its free service. People can also text the word HELLO, the national keyword, to 741741, the release said.

Crisis Text Line does not charge texters if their cell phone providers are AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon. For those who have another carrier, standard messaging rates apply, and the short code 741741 will appear on the billing statement.

For help, Text 4HOPE or HELLO to 741741 to connect with the Crisis Text Line.

Locally, residents who are experiencing a mental health crisis also can call the 24/7 crisis hotline at 800-888-6161. To schedule or ask about local non-emergency mental health services, residents can call the Navigator on weekdays during regular business hours at 440-240-7025.